Italian Sausage Minestrone
This no-fuss minestrone is perfect family fare on chilly days. Feeling daring? Substitute a can of butter beans or pinto beans for one of the cans of cannellini beans. I serve it with warm with crusty French bread for dipping into the broth.—Elizabeth Renteria, Vancouver, Washington
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 7 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup ditalini or other small pasta
- Shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese
Reviews
Wow, this was yummy! I didn't drain the fat as there wasn't a lot and just used that to saute the veggies. I also used 8 cups broth as someone suggested, and it filled my 6 qt pot close to full. I agree about the cannellini beans and think I'll try Great Northern beans next time.
I used hot turkey sausage, and there was very little fat to drain. You can't get much better than the smell of carrots, celery, onions and garlic softening in oil. This comes together pretty quickly. If you are serving the entire batch right away, it's easy to add the pasta, bring everything back up to a boil and cook it through. For single servings, watch that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the vessel and burn. Thank you Elizabeth R for the wonderful recipe!
I have made this MANY times for many people and have never had a person who didn't love it!! My absolute FAVORITE recipe ever!
This recipe is delicious. I had to use gluten free elbows instead of the ditalini, but it was still quite good. It makes a ton so you may have to scale back or freeze some.
I made this recipe today and it is amazing! Probably the best soup I have ever made, and I've made many. Makes a good sized pot so lots to go around. The combination of flavors from the ingredients are infused enhancing the flavor. This is a keeper that I'll make time and time again!
A new family favorite. Absolutely delicious.
Love this quick soup. I also sauted the tomato paste with the garlic before adding the liquids. I used beef broth as well as chicken base. For the seasoning I used dried basil and thyme. Super delicious with the sausage.
I have been making this soup on a regular basis ever since I found it in the magazine . It's very good.
My family absolutely loved this soup. My husband is still talking about it days later. We all took leftovers for lunch the next day, and looking forward to at least one more meal for our family of 3 from this batch. The recipe gives instructions for freezing this, but we went ahead and put the pasta in now with plans to finish it with leftovers without freezing.You of course don't have to use Johnsonville sausage! The original print version from the magazine doesn't specify that - nice advertising Johnsonville! You could probably use regular diced tomatoes, but I think the fire roasted adds a nice flavor. Serve with a good multigrain fresh loaf of bread.
Easy and tasty.